


Unpath'd Waters, Undream'd Shores

by dragonlandsandyaoihands



Series: Mad Blood Stirring [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alpha Lance (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Keith (Voltron), M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Keith (Voltron), Power Bottom Keith (Voltron), Selkies, Top Lance (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 13:35:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13718793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonlandsandyaoihands/pseuds/dragonlandsandyaoihands
Summary: Children of Arianrhod, also known as selkies, come ashore once a year, just before their mating season, ostensibly to mingle with humans. Keith prefers to keep to himself. Of course, his pelt justhappensto get stolen by some uppity human named Lance. No way Keith will let some guy get away with that without some thorough investigation.





	Unpath'd Waters, Undream'd Shores

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the third installment of Mad Blood Stirring. A little different and a little longer than usual, but not too long. Just as smutty as the previous ones, don't let the backstory fool you. Once again, thanks to my brother for reminding me that commas are a thing.
> 
> Follow me at dragonlandsandyaoihands on tumblr!
> 
> If you're interested in reading more of my writing early access or drabbles that aren't posted on AO3 at all, come check me out at:  
> dragonlandsandyaoihands.tumblr.com for more information in my bio.
> 
> The title is a quote from Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale

Keith spent the first day of the annual Shorecoming the same way he did every year: in a horrible mire of terror and boredom. His heart rate skyrocketed every time a human so much as wandered near where he’d camped out on the beach, only to fall back into the same tedium once they’d passed out of sight. He cursed colorfully and clenched his fists tighter around his pelt that he kept carefully folded in his arms. Periodically, he would unfold it and smooth it on the sand before becoming paranoid that someone would see it and know him for the selkie that he was so he’d hurriedly fold it up again. He hated this tradition.  
  
He sighed in frustration. He couldn’t even complain to Shiro about it because Shiro had offered, multiple times in fact, to let Keith stay with his shoal instead so he wouldn’t have to go through the torment every year. Shiro assured him that most shoals were more forward thinking and didn’t refer to their members as The Children of Arianrhod anymore or force their unmated selkies to undergo the ritual of Shorecoming. Stubbornly, Keith refused every year, saying that it wasn’t such a big deal. So what if the Elder of Keith’s shoal was totally conservative and old-fashioned? It wasn’t like anything was going to happen during the three days he had to go ashore out of his seal skin anyway.  
  
By the second day, Keith was a ball of anxiety and restless boredom. He dared not go any farther ashore, as some of his comrades had been known to prefer, for fear of some human noticing some strange habit or speech pattern of his. Technically, part of Shorecoming was to mingle with humans, teaching them about the ways and customs of selkies to keep the peace between the races, but even Elder Kolivan was not so antiquated as to believe there was much hope for that. Especially not with how humans continued to fish in greater amounts and in more areas, violating every treaty their ancestors ever made with the selkies. Fishing nets were why Shiro had gotten hurt before. Granted, that situation had ended with extremely apologetic fishermen and an effort by the fisherman to manufacture a prosthetic arm for Shiro. Even so, Keith knew that Shiro remained very hesitant to meet up with the fisherman every so often for maintenance and always brought either Keith or Allura with him. Just in case. Keith grimaced at how selfish humans were. Just another reason to avoid them at all costs.  
  
Not to mention the fact that, even in belonging to a shoal, selkies spent the majority of their time only with their immediate family. Having none, Keith spent that time alone. It wasn’t to say that he did bad at socializing; he just didn’t like it. So, to fulfill his obligation to the Shorecoming tradition, Keith did go ashore for the required days, but no one ever said he had to force himself to actually interact with humans or venture any further than the sand of the beach. Sitting alone, huddled protectively around his pelt, for days on end, however, was not the most exciting of activities. Even watching the various humans who did frequent the beach lost its entertainment value. As his interest started to wane, Keith caught some odd movement out of the corner of his keen eyes.  
  
Two humans had taken up residence in a spot near enough to his to cause some vague alarm. He clutched the pelt to his chest for a moment, before relaxing again. It was clear that the humans had no interest in the lone boy 10 feet away from them. They were taken up with other activities. The big male laid down some blankets and opened up a large shade circle, placing a big plastic basket nearby and keeping a close eye on it. Keith had investigated one of the plastic buckets in the past and found it to be full of ice. Presumably, humans kept things in there that they wanted to be cold, like food. The smaller human, whose gender Keith could not discern, busily played with some funny creatures. Quadrupedal and furry, one was a brownish red and the other a dark brown, almost black color. Their coats were glossy and shined brightly in the sun. Keith leaned closer, his interest piqued.  
  
The quadrupeds wiggled happily as the small human threw something into the waves, the lighter animal leaping wildly into the air, failing to catch the thrown object. The object in question was a bright purple, flat, and circular so it spun for a decent distance. The darker animal raced out into the ocean, retrieving the purple disc, and returned the disc to the human, prancing around excitedly. Keith was entranced. What were those animals? Why had he never seen them before? They were obviously not native to that particular beach or any area Keith had explored before. They didn’t look like amphibians or marine life that he’d ever seen, but they were unafraid of the water and the darker one had partially swum effortlessly to fetch the disc. Noting the details, Keith continued to watch in fascination as the human played with the creatures. He felt a sudden longing to pet the fur on display; could it be even softer than his own?  
  
Forgetting his fears, (and his pelt), Keith abandoned his spot in the sand and slowly approached the human and the animals. The human had come back to the larger male and chatted with him idly as the animals wrestled with one another, flinging up sand in every conceivable direction. When he had gotten closer, Keith saw when both creatures noticed his presence. The reddish brown one rolled onto its back and eagerly pawed at the air, twisting its back into different directions. The darker one stood up straight and looked Keith in the eye. He took another step forward as they assessed one another. Suddenly, the animal made a loud noise. Keith jumped back into a fighting stance, raising his arms to protect himself in case this animal went on the defensive and attacked him. Shit this was so stupid. Had he unknowingly encroached on this animal’s territory? He took a few steps back, averting his eyes to show submission and a disinclination to fight.  
  
“Oh, hey, it’s okay man. She won’t bite.”  
  
Startled once more, Keith’s head whipped around towards the big male who had spoken. Glancing around, Keith realized that the guy had been addressing him. He coughed awkwardly.  
  
“Uh, sorry. I didn’t mean to threaten your…I mean, threaten her.”  
  
The big man laughed.  
  
“Yeah, don’t worry. That’s my dog, Shay. She used to work as a seeing eye dog and trained to alert her master whenever anyone came close, just as a heads up. It wasn’t meant to be aggressive or anything. I get it though; she is a pretty big dog.”  
  
_Dog huh?_ Keith nodded, going with the flow and pretended that was the reason for his fright. Considering that the man explained all of that with the dog standing right there, Keith assumed that dogs did not communicate orally.  
  
“I just saw her and wondered what her fur feels like. I didn’t mean to disturb you guys.”  
  
Keith bit his lip, uncertain if that would sound weird. Since he never spent any time with humans, he had no idea whether it was socially acceptable to admire someone’s dog or want to touch them. He hoped the humans wouldn’t get mad or try to drive him away from the beach entirely. Instead, both of the humans looked happy at his statement.  
  
“Not a problem at all! I know Rover loves the attention. I bet both of the puppies would love it if you wanted to pet them!” He said the last bit to the dogs themselves who began furiously shaking their tails from side to side.  
  
Given the joyful demeanors of the humans, Keith figured it was a sign of happiness in dogs. He carefully edged closer, allowing ample room to run away if the dog Shay decided to yell again. The only forthcoming noise was a small yip from the other dog, Rover, and Shay setting both paws in front of herself, leaning her body forward. Keith decided to touch Rover first since he seemed to be less potentially dangerous. He stared in wonder at the long fur slipping between his fingers.  
  
“It’s so silky…”  
  
He murmured to himself, not meaning to say it aloud. The smaller human crouched down next to him, puffing its chest out with pride.  
  
“Oh yeah. My mom brushes him all the time since he sheds so much. Try rubbing his belly; it’s his favorite.”  
  
Keith ignored the urge to scuttle away from a human so close to him and reached out further to briskly smooth his hand in a circular motion over the dog’s stomach. The tail beat furiously into the sand and one hind leg twitched violently in time with Keith’s movements. He must have looked a bit hesitant because the small human laughed.  
  
“That means he’s happy.”  
  
Keith smiled and continued rubbing at the dogs. He could see a keen intelligence behind their large brown eyes, but they seemed content to let humans (and selkies) simply pet them and race around the beach, chasing down flying discs, letting their tongues loll out of their mouths, and shaking their tails. Keith felt a stab of envy at such a simple but enjoyable life. The big man got up and went back to the blankets he had set out, reaching into another bag they'd brought for something. Keith was so caught up in the soft fur and inquisitive wet noses that he didn’t see the approach of yet another human.  
  
This was Lance’s time to shine. Even though Hunk had reminded him twice to go to the bathroom before they went to the beach because _Lance, you know there is only one bathroom you’re willing to go in and it’s nowhere near our normal spot. You’re going to get there and have to go, you always do this!_ Denying Hunk’s pleas, he reassured his friend that he had just gone half an hour prior. It wasn’t a lie; he had just gone. But Lance didn’t taking the venti double chocolate chip frappucino that he always asked for when they inevitably stopped by Starbucks on their way to the beach. And then, they’d gotten distracted getting out of the truck with the surfboards, except they’d _forgotten the fucking surfboards what the shit Lance?_ So then they’d had to drive all the way back and return. By the time all of that had transpired, excepting those horrible moments of brain freeze, Lance had finished his drink and obviously needed to pee. To punish him, Pidge and Hunk had taken the dogs and left him the surfboards to carry.  
  
He decided to visit the bathroom first, cringing at the disgusting nature and thanking God that he wasn’t a girl and didn’t need to actually sit on one of those toilets, ugh ew! After thoroughly washing his hands, he casually loped back to the truck, removing the surfboards and heading towards the usual beach spot. He’d been coming to the beach far longer than either of his friends and had actually chosen the spot for its relative seclusion from other tourists, as well as nearness to some of the beautiful caves for exploration. Not that he’d been able to convince either Hunk or Pidge to go exploring yet. Hunk thought it seemed dangerous and Pidge just wasn’t that interested. He was determined to change that though.  
  
As he trekked across the sand, he noticed someone get up and walk over to Rover and Shay. It was hard to tell from the distance and the way the sun shone in his eyes, but considering the swim trunks, he figured it could be a guy. It was unusual; most often little kids or cute girls stopped to play with the dogs. Lance smirked. Maybe it was his lucky day and he’d find a hot guy who also liked animals. Approaching the scene from the side, he nearly tripped over something in the sand. Startled, he looked down to find the culprit and was surprised to see some kind of blanket. Or skin. Crouching down to examine it, he decided it had to be some kind of coat. His lips curled at the touch. It was very smooth, definitely not a synthetic material of any kind. Pursing his lips, Lance looked up at the guy. He could only see him from the back, but the way his red trunks hugged his ass was positively sinful. Lance bit his lip. He _really_ didn’t approve of people wearing real animal fur, but maybe it was a family heirloom or something. That ass in front of him just begged to get the benefit of the doubt. Rolling his eyes at himself, Lance juggled the surfboards to heft the coat into his arms. If nothing else, the guy shouldn’t be leaving something like that on the beach to get filthy in the sand.  
  
It wasn’t the kind of beach where people just took things that were unattended, at least not within eyesight of other beachgoers. Lance could have just left the coat where it lay. But he wanted to make a good impression on the guy. The guy’s ebony hair shone in the bright sunlight, a little longer than Lance would prefer, but as he got closer, he could see defined muscles lining the guy’s back that made Lance’s mouth water. Unceremoniously shoving the surfboards into the sand by the towels Hunk had lovingly laid out, Lance ran over to join the fun. Hunk yelled something after him about watching the goods.  
  
“About time man!”  
  
Pidge greeted him, looking away from Rover and the stranger who seemed fascinated by the dogs, behaving almost like someone who’d never met a dog before. Lance seemed to be carrying something else in his arms though, that Pidge didn’t recognize.  
  
“Hey what’s that?”  
  
“I found it in the sand over there, figured it belonged to this fine man here.”  
  
When the smaller human, Pidge, Keith supposed, didn't respond, he realized that the new arrival must have addressed him. Tearing his eyes away from the dogs in front of him, Keith glanced up at the standing human. And promptly froze. Cold terror rushed through his veins at the sight of the bronze skinned man standing before him. The man smiled innocently enough, but he carried Keith's pelt. Keith stared, rising slowly to his feet. As he stayed silent, the one holding his pelt began to speak. If Keith hadn't known better, he might have thought the guy seemed nervous. But that didn't make sense. He was the one in control after all; the one holding the pelt. As Keith stayed silent, Lance started to ramble a little.  
  
“I mean-this is yours right?”  
  
Keith’s fists were so tightly clenched that his knuckles were white. Fear pulsed through his body as the waves crashed behind him. He berated himself harshly for leaving the pelt unattended, even for such a short time. Fucking stupid stupid, what was he thinking? Now the worst had happened: a human holding his _pelt._ Would this guy force Keith to be his lover? To stay on land forever? A bitter pain lanced through his heart as he thought of Shiro and Allura and how he wouldn’t be able to say goodbye. Shiro would be so worried. Keith narrowed his eyes, advancing cautiously. The guy looked lanky, but muscled. Without a weapon he’d be limited, especially since the other two humans close by appeared to be friends with him. One of the dogs, Shay growled and Keith jumped. Shit. He’d forgotten. Although they seemed friendly enough, Keith had no doubt in his mind that they were loyal to the other humans. If Keith attacked, not only was he outnumbered, but he didn’t know the possible capabilities of the fearsome dogs. But he couldn’t give up his freedom without a fight!  
  
Lance sensed the tense atmosphere and couldn’t understand the sudden change of mood or the obvious growing hostility from Hot Guy. Much as he was a bit worried and mostly confused, he couldn’t help but notice the guy was equally as hot when he was angry. Tentatively, Lance tried again.  
  
“Uh, not that you aren’t also really hot when you’re pissed, but what’s going on?”  
  
Keith sneered at the enemy, baring his teeth.  
  
“You’re holding my pelt. Get your filthy hands off of my _pelt!_ What are you planning?! Why did you take it?!”  
  
By the end of his shouts, Keith growled more than Shay. Frustration finally overwhelmed Lance’s cautiousness.  
  
“Yeah okay fine! I was just trying to be nice and bring it to you. You don’t have to be such a douchebag about it. I won’t touch it with my ‘filthy hands’ anymore you sourpuss. Here, take your precious coat and get the fuck out of here!”  
  
He chucked it behind himself in a huff and turned, grabbing his surfboard and storming off. Keith froze in shock. The human had…given it back? He sprinted over to the pelt, carefully brushing the sand from it and huddling over it. He glanced back at the startled humans and dogs once more and hurried away. He wouldn’t going to take it for granted. He hadn’t expected his intimidation to actually _work_ and felt a mixture of bewilderment and relief course through his body. Adrenaline continued to pump through his veins as he moved back to his original spot. Once he had managed to calm his heart, his stomach swooped unpleasantly as he went over the events again in his head.  
  
What just happened?  
  
None of the stories the elders had told about humans stealing selkie pelts had ever addressed a human giving it back like that. Most of them simply locked the pelt away forever, forcing the selkie to remain on land in their human form for the rest of their life. Some selkies were able to discover the location of their pelt and get it back somehow, often taking it in the night when the human slept. One or two stories talked about a human eventually loving a selkie enough to willingly return their pelt when the human became old or sick, but Elder Kolivan had warned that that scenario hadn’t happened for a very long time. Keith was stricken. The weird behavior was triggered by him, since it was so out of the ordinary for a human. But surely he wasn’t the first selkie to try and intimidate their way out of capture?  
  
A niggling voice at the back of his head wondered if there wasn’t something wrong with him that the man hadn’t seen until he closed the distance between them. Or worse, something wrong with his pelt. A hot burst of shame colored Keith’s cheeks and he buried his flaming face in his pelt. If other selkies didn’t want to mate him, surely he couldn’t expect a lowly human to want him either? His jaw clenched and he took his pelt, changing back into seal form away from prying human eyes. Forget Shorecoming, he wasn’t going to stick around for the rest of the day, just in case the human changed his mind and came back with a weapon of some kind.  
  
The following day, frustrated and anxious, Keith made sure to return to the same spot as he had been in previously. Cautiously guarding his pelt with the utmost care, he picked a place with a good vantage point, able to see for about a mile up and down the beach. Maybe if he stayed in the same place those people and their furry friends would appear again. Hopefully without the annoying one who had tried to steal his pelt. If nothing else, Keith desperately wanted to pet the red and brown quadrupeds. They’d been so bright and friendly, shaking their whole bodies in delight as he’d patted in wonder at their fine fur. It had been much different from his own. Keith tried to convince himself that those animals were the only reason he returned, but deep down, he knew that wasn’t the case. He wanted answers. He arrived as the sun rose and waited until well into the night before giving up. He ought to feel pride in having managed to escape from the clutches of a stupid human, but instead he felt hollow and a slight tinge of bitterness. He blamed it immediately on the lack of the furry human-companions.  
  
A few days later, Keith flopped onto the beach and hauled his way up a little alcove, hidden from the main part of the beach. He’d been sulking for days. Shiro had said it was probably due to the increased hormones circulating through his body as mating season rapidly approached, but Keith hadn’t told Shiro about his encounter with the human Lance. He knew Shiro would scold him for being so reckless with his pelt and simultaneously be relieved that Keith had somehow managed to get it back and wasn’t beholden to a combination of some strange human and an outdated selkie custom. Keith felt relieved too, but a small part of him was disappointed as well. He couldn’t help but feel that he wasn’t good enough for the human who had picked up his coat; that if he’d been more appealing Lance might have kept it and kept _him._  
  
But it wasn’t like he wanted that, not really. Keith valued freedom over nearly all else. If he were to be mated to a human, it would have to be a human who would never try to keep him on land, letting him return to the sea as he pleased. According to Elder Kolivan, such relationships were practically unheard of, so Keith didn’t hold out much hope there. Most selkies ended up mating other selkies anyway. Some couples chose to make their home on land, others in the sea with their shoal, or their mates’ shoal, but the point was that they had the choice. A few selkies never mated at all. Keith privately believed that was his true fate since he needed his own space and was difficult to get along with at the best of times. Was that why Lance had given his pelt back? Keith hadn’t attacked him, verbally or physically, but he had heard that humans had different standards of aggression from selkies. He’d been frightened so maybe the humans had seen his display of fear as one of anger.  
  
He frowned deeply. There had been plenty of stories about selkies trying to wrestle their pelts away from thieving humans or abusive ones so they could come back to the sea. Humans hardly seemed to feel threatened in those stories and, although he’d never known a human personally, even Shiro believed them to be a force needing respect and a healthy dose of fear. After all, it had been one of their ships that had injured Shiro’s arm so badly. If humans had so much power, how could he possibly have intimidated Lance? Lance had been holding Keith’s pelt and Keith was vulnerable, without his usual knife he carried ashore since weapons were forbidden during Shorecoming. It hardly seemed like Keith was in a position of power. Therefore, Lance must have already been planning to return the pelt, or at least been unsure of whether or not he wanted to keep it. Keith slapped his fins uselessly to his sides and rolled onto his belly in frustration.  
  
His mind caught up in musings of mates, humans, and living alone, he almost failed to notice a familiar figure roaming near his hiding spot. He stiffened, suddenly alert. It looked like the same human as before, Lance. He couldn’t be sure; he hid behind an outcropping leading to the alcove and selkies were not known for their keen vision above water. But the swagger with which the human walked seemed remarkably similar. And Keith had never been anything but an impulsive man. Before his better sense could remind him that Shorecoming had ended, mating season could start any time now, or that he had exactly _nothing_ to say to this boy, Keith shifted, snagging his shorts from the nearby rock that he kept them hidden under, and hauling himself and his pelt ashore. Fists clenching unconsciously, pulse burning with perceived rejection, he hurried after the human.  
  
“Hey you!”  
  
Lance paused at the edge of the cave, glancing around himself to find the cause of the bark. He wasn’t exactly startled; it was a public beach after all. But he’d been pretty sure he was alone. After turning fully around, his eyes alighted on an ebony mullet glistening angrily in the bright sun. He sighed deeply. He’d _really_ hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with this crazy dickbag storming up to him again. Where had he even come from? Was the guy following him?!  
  
“What's your deal? Are you stalking me?!”  
  
Ignoring his outburst completely, Keith continued his own.  
  
“Is there something wrong with me?”  
  
_Buddy you have no idea._  
  
“Do you want a list in alphabetical or numerical order?” Lance asked sardonically.  
  
Keith crossed his arms and waited quietly. Lance rolled his eyes, tossing his own arms up into the air.  
  
“I was just trying to be _nice._ What is your problem man? All I did was pick up your coat and give it to you! Can you chill out?” Lance exclaimed.  
  
Keith blinked uncertainly. The guy, Lance, tried to be…nice? Maybe he had misjudged the whole situation. He looked away, flexing his toes in the sand uncomfortably.  
  
“Oh. I thought you were going to steal my pelt…”  
  
It was Lance’s turn to squint in confusion. The guy’s voice had suddenly gotten softer and his whole stance changed. He clutched the pelt in question tighter to his body, curling protectively over it somewhat. He even toed nonsensical lines in the sand and staring at his feet like an embarrassed schoolgirl. Lance’s brain helpfully reminded him that the guy was very attractive and the behavior was absurdly cute. Lance curtly told his brain to go fuck itself, thanks very much. When Lance didn’t reply, Keith continued speaking.  
  
“I was kind of angry that I’d been so careless as to leave it unattended on the beach like that. But I guess you didn’t like it that much if you wanted to give it back, even from the start.”  
  
“Uh, did you want me to steal it? Cause I can’t really get a read on you man. And I’m sort of insulted that you thought I look like the kinda person who would just steal someone’s coat. Like, okay, these swim trunks are hand-me-downs, but I take great pains to _not_ look like a bum so it’d be cool if you didn’t think I was some random hobo about to take your coat.”  
  
Keith said nothing in return and Lance heaved a great sigh. Was this guy going to ever leave?  
  
“Fine, what happened was I saw this really pretty coat laying there getting full of sand and maybe seaweed since the tide was coming in and I figured you left it there accidentally when you went to play with Rover and Shay. I don’t blame you; those dogs are fucking awesome. So I grabbed it to bring it to you so it wouldn’t get dirty. Okay? It doesn’t matter if I liked it or not; it’s yours. I wasn’t going to steal it.”  
  
Keith caught his eye again, blushing adorably. Lance felt the incoming fluster typical of being around a gorgeous specimen of humankind, along with the irresistible urge to puff out his chest a little and work to impress this guy. Before he could stop himself, he ran his hand through his hair and his big mouth opened again.  
  
“By the way, the name’s Lance. Never caught yours.”  
  
His grin sparkled in the midday sun and Keith lost the ability to breathe for a second. His heart started pounding and the words of Elder Kolivan rang out in his head. _Though it happens but rarely nowadays, on the occasion when a human does take a selkie’s pelt it is the will of Fate herself._ Maybe the stupid Shorecoming wasn’t such a meaningless, antiquated ritual after all. His cheeks flushed a brighter pink.  
  
“My name is Keith. I uh-“  
  
He looked away and didn’t notice the way Lance’s sultry grin had frozen on his face to become more of a grimace as he internally argued with himself. Why was he flirting with this guy-Keith? He was obviously totally unstable and carried a giant coat around as a security blanket in the middle of July in Cuba! Not to mention the fact that he had totally implied that he thought Lance looked like a homeless person! Surely that’s enough to politely end this increasingly bizarre interaction and go back to exploring this cave like he’d planned to and send Keith on his merry insane way?  
  
“No one has ever complimented my pelt before. Thank you.”  
  
Lance gritted his teeth, hoping against hope that he could curb his compulsive flirting, just this _one time please._  
  
“Yeah well, most people probably think it’s a little weird that you even have it during the summer. But hey, if you’re the type of guy who gets cold often, well, I’d be happy to keep you warm.”  
  
Lance silently cursed. Keith smiled crookedly. Lance was obviously trying to move past their disastrous first meeting by joking around and pretending Keith wasn’t a selkie. It was well established that selkies could handle much colder temperatures than humans, but Keith appreciated the effort. Keith liked Lance being sweet. The least Keith could do in return was to make up for his rude behavior before. Lance had been about to go inside the cave, one Keith had surprisingly never been to before. Keith lit up as the idea struck him suddenly.  
  
“Do you want to explore the cave together?”  
  
Lance blinked at him warily, still not quite adjusted to the change in mood.  
  
“Yeah, uh, I was just about to go in. Have you been in there before?”  
  
Keith shook his head no. Lance smiled in return.  
  
“Well, you’re in luck! As it turns out, I’m a native, born and bred around here! So I know all of the secrets of this ~magical cave~!”  
  
Lance wiggled his fingers in what Keith supposed to be a wondrous way. Or at least signaling that Lance was being silly. He quirked his lips indulgently and followed as Lance led the way into the cave. Lance felt a little ridiculous, showing off a relatively small seaside cave, but he embraced the feeling when he noticed Keith giggling cutely at his antics. Puffing his scrawny chest out further, Lance adopted his best tour guide persona.  
  
“And here we see the fabulous ancient cave drawings, surely on par with the Lascaux ones!” He gestured widely towards the crude scratches in the solid walls where people had carved out their initials. One enterprising person had managed to carve an immediately identifiable dick. “While on the opposite wall we can see some magnificent limpid pools!” A single, sad puddle spilled beneath a larger stalactite. Not the nicest cave feature, but Keith guessed that it glinted a little at the attention.  
  
As they made their way further inside, it occurred to Keith that this cave was actually part of a larger system of interconnected caves; something that couldn’t be detected from the front. It also became more difficult to see. Almost to illustrate his thought, Keith promptly slipped in a stray wet spot and crashed into Lance’s back, yelping as he stubbed his toe hard against the wall.  
  
“Woah!”  
  
Lance managed to catch them both against the wall. Keith clutched his hips to steady himself before realizing exactly _where_ his hands had landed. He pulled them away quickly, apologizing. Lance partially looked over his shoulder as he straightened up.  
  
“You don’t need to make up an excuse if you wanna put your hands on me, baby.”  
  
The pain radiating up Keith’s foot distinctly did not put him in a good mood. He growled incoherently and Lance chuckled, feeling his way across the wall.  
  
“Hold your horses, I’ve got just the thing. Now let’s see…it was right around here I know it…a ha!” Lance exclaimed, brandishing a flashlight and clicking it on triumphantly.  
  
His yell had nearly startled Keith into falling once again, but that time Lance was ready. He held out his forearm and let Keith brace himself. Keith lamented the fact that Lance didn’t try to swoop in and let him see if his puffed out chest could hold him up. Then he frowned at himself for thinking that way. Keith wasn’t sure how long they had been walking, but his toe throbbed angrily and he wasn’t exactly in the mood to continue navigating the treacherous cave system. Except…he didn’t want to just leave.  
  
“Hey you know, there’s a pretty cool center to the cave that I think you’d like. It’s kind of difficult to get there and I know you’re already off balance from my wit and charm-“ he paused to wink at Keith, “-but if you’re totally lame or actually hurt and don’t want to keep going we can head back out.”  
  
Keith rolled his eyes hugely. As if he could pass up that kind of taunt. He gritted his teeth against the pain in his toe and crossed his arms.  
  
“I’m fine.” When Lance merely raised an eyebrow at him, but made no attempt to go on, Keith uncrossed his arms to make a go-ahead motion. “Unless _you_ want to go back and are trying to make it my fault?”  
  
That forced Lance to spring into action.  
  
"Yeah right! Just you wait and see. This is _my_ cave!"  
  
Keith snorted at the obnoxious behavior, but obediently followed Lance and the light he provided. As they walked and dodged the puddles reflected in the flashlight beam, Lance began to tell a seemingly inexhaustible amount of stories about not only adventures he had gone on with his friends, but his family as well. Judging by the sheer number of names, Lance must have had an enormous number of family members. In fact, not that he was by any means an expert, but Keith began to wonder whether everyone who Lance called cousin, aunt, or uncle was _really_ related to him or not. The longer they went, the rougher the terrain became, forcing them to go from the occasional scramble to a more frequent stooping where the roof sloped low or turning sideways to squeeze through tight gaps. Keith smiled to himself as he contemplated the way Shiro would shudder in horror when he later recounted the event to him. Shiro hated enclosed spaces. All the while, Lance barely seemed winded from the trek and continued telling increasingly outrageous stories that Keith only half believed.  
  
Eventually, they came to a part where they would have to crawl. Keith initially balked, but Lance goaded him into it.  
  
"C'mon pal! I promise there's another way out from where we're going that's a lot shorter so we won't have to back track through all of that."  
  
That was a relief to hear and all the extra motivation Keith needed. He got down on his hands and knees, draping his pelt over his back, and awkwardly clambered in after Lance. At one point, Lance stopped, needing to readjust his grip on the flashlight and Keith, not knowing they were stopping, rammed right into Lance, causing them both to collapse forward. Grumbling about Lance making uncalled for stops, (and quietly trying to calm his heartbeat that sped up ferociously at the press of his face to Lance’s ass), Keith followed when Lance started moving again a moment later.  
  
“I’ve about had enough spelunking Lance!”  
  
“Baby, I’ll show you my A game spelunking skills any day. Ain’t no slippery cavern I can’t thoroughly explore!”  
  
Keith made a disgusted noise and pulled a face. Why the fuck had he followed this idiot?! That was not only the worst pick-up line he’d ever heard, but it graphic in a distinctly non-sexual way. Nothing even remotely sexy about the word spelunking. Ugh. Keith was so horrified that he contemplated whether or not he could just reverse course and escape before Lance could say anything even worse, if possible. (Keith didn’t have the pleasure that day, but as he discovered later, it _was possible_ ).  
  
They finally managed to fit through the hole leading into the main part of the cave system and Lance shone the flashlight around unnecessarily. It was well illuminated by the large hole in the roof of the cave where rocks had crumbled inward, landing in large boulders decorating the tiny lake inside. Beautiful green lichen and cave moss grew around the lake, as well as some kind of flower Lance couldn’t identify. He’d discovered it many years ago exploring on his own after his brothers had ditched him one day and he’d returned many times when he wanted to be alone. Realizing belatedly that he’d been rambling on for quite some time about his own family on the way in, he quickly scrambled to do the polite thing and ask about Keith’s in return.  
  
“So what about your family?”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
Lance saw that Keith blinked to adjust his eyes to the new source of light. He flushed.  
  
“Well, now that you sorta just got the entire history of my family, I was wondering about yours?”  
  
“I don’t have a family.”  
  
Lance gaped for a second. No _family?_ Fuck. That was…beyond horrible. He couldn’t imagine anything worse than not having his family. Keith’s tone had been neutral and he seemed unperturbed by the idea, but maybe it had just been him on his own for a long time and he’d become used to it. Or maybe he just wasn’t a total oversharing loser and didn’t feel like discussing his personal issues and lack of a family with someone, nearly a complete stranger.  
  
Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and casting about for a new topic, Lance’s eyes drifted around the cave. Wandering over to a well-hidden crevice, he carefully reached inside to remove a tattered blue cloth. He hadn’t been sure about showing off his precious treasures to Keith and if you’d told him a few days ago that he’d be standing in his well loved hideaway, sharing his prized collection of secret bounty with an almost complete stranger, much less a stranger who he’d been so angry with, he’d have scoffed immediately at the thought. He’d shown Hunk awhile ago and hadn’t yet gotten around to bringing Pidge to the cave yet since she was a much more recent addition to the friendship. To think he showed Keith before Pidge…maybe he just wouldn’t tell her about that. Purely for safety’s sake.  
  
Drawing the cloth out, he laid it down on a nearby smooth topped rock. It was slightly lower than a normal table, meaning Lance always had to stoop a little when using it as such. He artfully arranged the objects he’d collected over the years of visiting the beach. Small seashells, a whole sand dollar, bits of coral, dulled pieces of sea glass, Lance had quite the collection going. To Keith’s surprise, he also seemed to have a large oyster with string wrapped around it. Furrowing his brow in curiosity, Keith pointed it out.  
  
“Why did you seal shut an oyster?”  
  
Lance giggled, loosening the string.  
  
“The oyster is just one I got from a restaurant one time when my mom treated us kids to a fancy dinner. I mostly just use it for storage for these.”  
  
Gently lifting the lid, Lance revealed a few small, but pure white pearls. He gingerly rolled the oyster so that Keith could get a better look at them. Keith’s eyes widened. Lance was showing off his pearls? That could only mean one thing! Internally, he groaned at his own stupidity. How could he have missed this? Obviously Lance was a much better human than anyone in Keith’s wildest dreams. Especially with how shy Lance was being as he explained some story about a neighbor cultivating freshwater pearls and hiring Lance to help take care of them on occasion. Keith nodded along absently. Lance must have realized his gross misstep in picking up Keith’s pelt and now tried to woo him in a more traditional way. Keith’s heart warmed at the thought. He oohed and ahed appropriately as Lance explained the backstory for each of the items that were on display.  
  
Meanwhile, Keith’s mind raced to accept the new development. It was a well known fact that selkies only showed off their troves of treasure either to potential rivals, to challenge them openly, or to mates for wooing purposes. The challenging of rivals was more old-fashioned and wasn’t done much anymore; usually a selkie would entice a mate with their trove and gift their intended mate with an item from it. Most often a pearl. Keith chewed his lip unconsciously as he considered the possibilities. Typically, he would not be challenged as a rival due to his status as an omega, but, given Lance’s species and apparent inability to immediately recognize a selkie pelt (what an _idiot_ ), Keith wasn’t sure if Lance was aware of his secondary gender. Actually, come to think of it, Keith wasn’t sure humans even had secondary genders, much less understood their importance in biology or society. So, Lance could have been challenging him in good faith.  
  
Weighing their interactions over the course of the day, Keith felt unsure as to which category Lance was aiming for in showing off the trove. He watched Lance’s expansive gesturing and mused that he wasn’t sure which category he _wanted_ to be in, though part of him already knew the answer well. In truth, if he were to accept the rivalry, he would have already begun boasting of his own trove and wanting to show it off to Lance in order to gain an edge in superiority. Seeing as how no instinct drove him to even try to compete, (or at least not yet. Keith admired Lance’s dedication, but the pieces of coral were so-so at best and Keith’s were much nicer), he resigned himself to being wooed.  
  
Lance watched as a slightly goofy smile grew on Keith’s face the longer he talked and his pulse sped up. He wanted to see more of that smile. Stuttering suddenly over his words, Lance’s mouth proceeded to run away without giving his brain a chance to weigh in on the matter.  
  
“I want you to have this one.”  
  
Dexterously plucking one of the pearls, his favorite, from the oyster, he carefully settled the oyster back onto the cloth and gently took ahold of Keith’s hand when the aforementioned just stared at him dumbly. He placed the pearl in the center of Keith’s palm and curled his fingers around it. A tremendous blush took over both of their faces. Lance leaned back, his hand awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.  
  
“L-look I have others and I’m sure I’ll work for Mr. Vasquez again so I can always get more, but you’ve been kind of staring at the oyster and it’s not every day a cool guy like me offers you a pearl so-“  
  
In a decision as sudden as Lance’s to gift the pearl in the first place, Keith squished himself and his pelt along Lance’s front and leaned up to press their lips together. Lance prided himself for recovering quickly enough to not just gape like a _fool_ while a gorgeous guy wanted to kiss him. He mentally gave himself a pat on the back as he settled against the rock and maneuvered a hand to the back of Keith’s head, tangling his fingers in the soft hair he found there. He turned his head to the side and parted his lips, wanting badly to taste. Lance tasted sweet, like he’d eaten something recently before coming to the cave. Keith tasted like the ocean spray on a cold morning at dawn. Twisting his head, Lance nipped at Keith’s plush lips and soothed the hurt with his tongue, drawing a hiss from the other man.  
  
Alarm bells belatedly began to sound. Some crazy guy who carried around a sealskin like a security blanket was macking on him, a near stranger, in a secluded cave. What if he was a serial killer? He could almost hear his older brother’s voice in his head reminding him insistently after his last break up to _“Never stick your dick in crazy, hermano. You hear me?”_ But Lance had stopped thinking with his head around the time Keith’s tongue entwined lazily with his, sucking on the tip. The sweet sussurus of lips connecting, parting, and coming back together was intoxicating. This Keith guy was something else.  
  
When Keith finally released him, Lance’s ears were an endearing shade of red. Keith was sure his own face was no better. He could even bet that his chest had gone all blotchy, the way his pale skin tended to. Shiro always made fun of him for it. The thought of Shiro triggered another memory; one of Elder Kolivan’s extensive lectures on the importance of pair bonding and mutual courtship displays. After all, it wasn’t enough that Lance had given him a pearl from his trove, solidifying Keith’s suspicions of mating intentions. Keith’s trove was far away and he couldn’t just ask Lance to wait around while he went to get it. Nor could he bring Lance since the silly human couldn’t hold his breath long enough to even dive deep enough. If Lance had also been a selkie, he might have known that an omega typically took responsibility for staking out and sharing their territory with their mate, whereas alphas tended to hoard large troves and spoil their mate with gifts, but based on their entire day, Keith thought that Lance wasn’t aware of such nuances. Perhaps a display of his own secret could match Lance’s trove. He had mentioned that it was a secret after all.  
  
(He also remembered that Elder Kolivan always cautioned young Children of Arianrhod that such displays and gift giving were to take place over a matter of days or longer and not to rush into anything, but Keith felt that the moment was right.)  
  
He shyly asked: "I-I don't have anything to give you. I mean! I do have some space, of my own I mean, staked out and protected but I don't think you could see it right now." At Lance's bewildered smile, Keith rushed to continue. "Unless you can? I know sometimes humans put on a dark suit and tank and can come down. Can you do that?"  
  
Lance stared.  
  
"Uh. Like scuba diving? Yeah, I am certified...you mean you own like part of the ocean? Or something down there?"  
  
Keith nodded excitedly.  
  
"I claimed some territory when I came of age, we all do."  
  
Was Keith part of some kind of tribe of native people? His fair skin said no, but Lance wasn't one to judge. Keith said he didn't have a family so maybe he'd been adopted in? Even so, he'd never heard of any group of people who divided up chunks of land underwater. Not like that'd be very useful. He tried valiantly to stop himself from raising his eyebrows incredulously.  
  
"That would be really nice. Um! But for now, do you want to pet it? It's really soft."  
  
Keith blushed and brandished his coat at Lance. Lance humored him and pet the coat. It actually was very soft. He supposed Keith had just spent awhile clambering into a cave and properly appreciating his own unique treasure so he might as well return the praise.  
  
"You're right. It's very pretty."  
  
Keith's heart sped up, trying to burst from his chest. He asked, nearly inaudible.  
  
"Do you want to see me wear it?"  
  
Not understanding the appeal in the oppressive summer heat, but wanting to please him, Lance nodded in agreement. Swiftly, Keith stripped off his swim trunks and Lance's jaw dropped. Oh _shit_ this boy was fine. Wait was the coat a sex thing? Huh. Kinky. Averting his eyes since they'd just met, Lance stuttered out  
  
"Uh this is kinda-"  
  
But Keith never found out what it kinda was. He wrapped his pelt around his shoulders and shrugged on the hood, crouching down so he wouldn't just flop on the hard rock painfully. He felt the strange sensation of his body lengthening and thickening, his large layer of blubber making a slapping noise as he gracelessly plopped on the ground.  
  
Lance stood there motionless. Curious as to his reaction, Keith shuffled forward, using his powerful abs to arch up and slide along the rock. Lance shrieked and jumped back, clutching his head. This wasn't happening. There was no way this was happening! One minute a hot, albeit weird, Keith stood there and now there was a seal. Not exactly standing there, because seals don’t stand. Laying there? Right there! In front of him! He glanced around wildly, waiting for Keith to jump out yelling surprise and explaining his magical pet seal, but there nothing to be seen, only the seal. Who honestly looked kind of hurt. It hunched its head in and rolled onto its back in a non-threatening manner. Cautiously, Lance stepped forward, unable to believe the words about to come out of his mouth.  
  
"Keith? Is that you?"  
  
The seal slapped its flippers energetically against its sides and bobbed its head in an unmistakeable yes movement. Keith fucking turned into a _goddamn seal._ A few hysterical laughs bubbled up through Lance's chest as he lost both his mind and his footing.  
  
"Waah!"  
  
Foot sliding out on a slippery bit of rock, Lance fell backwards, conking his head painfully on the rock and knocking himself into Lala Land. Hurriedly shedding his seal form in favor of opposable thumbs, Keith rushed to his side.  
  
"Lance?! Hey Lance!"  
  
Keith worriedly lifted his head, checking for blood. Luckily, there didn't seem to be any and Lance groaned pitifully as Keith hefted him against his chest. Groggily, Lance managed to open his eyes and squinted at Keith.  
  
"Whaa?"  
  
"It's okay. You fell down and now I'm cradling you in my arms."  
  
Keith knew that head injuries were especially troublesome and that sometimes you had to spell things out directly to someone with one. Lance reached back to feel the beginnings of a lump on the back of his head and winced.  
  
"Am I bleeding?"  
  
"No, but don't overdo it, clumsy."  
  
Lance nearly protested weakly against the unflattering nickname, but then he remembered the seal. What a weird thing to hallucinate. He grinned.  
  
"You'll never believe this, but I probably have a concussion since I just saw you morph into a seal."  
  
Keith's face twisted in confusion.  
  
"But I _did_ morph into a seal."  
  
Lance blinked and grimaced.  
  
“Lance, I'm a Child of Arianrhod!"  
  
"What the hell is that? A cult who takes advantage of concussed people to prank them? Well, you got me! I give up now! Haha joke’s on me!”  
  
"No! I'm a selkie. A seal who has a human form! I thought you knew that!"  
  
"How could I have possibly guessed that?!"  
  
"I don't know! Maybe since I'm always carrying around my pelt and freaked out when you took it?!"  
  
Keith retorted angrily, finally start to lose his temper. Concussed or not, how dense could this guy be? Sure selkies were a small population but it wasn't like they were unheard of. Right?  
  
"If you're a seal then why are you ashore? Are you banished from the ocean? Or magically beached?"  
  
Lance wasn't positive that the whole episode wasn't just an elaborate dream from falling on his head, but he decided to just go with the flow and take everything at face value. He had plenty of time later to reevaluate his entire existence. For now, it hurt to think too hard.  
  
"No. It's a tradition called Shorecoming. It takes place before selkie mating season and selkies come ashore to mingle with humans and ensure that peace is kept between humans and selkies. It's pretty old-fashioned but the Elder of my shoal still believes in it so he asks us, the members, to honor it every year."  
  
As Keith explained, Lance managed to sit up, the throbbing in his head dying down to a dull ache. Fictional or not, the concept of selkies interested Lance and Keith certainly had a lot to say about being one. For a second, Lance mourned that Pidge wasn't there since she loved cryptozoology so much. She'd have known about selkies and would already be persuading Keith to let her analyze him as a test subject. The more Keith talked, the more Lance's mind wandered. At one point, Keith noticed his distraction and moved to put his trunks back on which disappointed Lance and led him to pout unintentionally.  
  
"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to scare you."  
  
Lance nodded, accepting the apology. He had only paid attention to some of what Keith had said about selkie culture and customs. As he prepared to ask Keith to elaborate on some of the weirder things he'd mentioned, Keith let out a strangled noise. Fuck. His stomach cramped and he felt sweat start to bead along his hair line. It might have been his proximity to Lance or the fact that he'd changed so quickly in and out of his seal form, but Keith felt the effects of heat start. His eyelashes fluttered and he moaned as he felt some slick leak out, dampening his shorts. He ground down, his hole painfully empty, palming himself unconsciously while Lance stuttered. He stood up suddenly and Lance scrambled after him, headache nearly forgotten.  
  
"Are you okay? You look uh..."  
  
Totally horny and I want to ravish you where you stand was likely not an acceptable continuation of that thought, but boy, Lance thought it loudly. He felt a blush burn the tips of his ears as Keith moved. Keith groaned and started unwittingly walking towards the softer sand at the edge of the cave lake. He felt the sand squish between his toes and he laid out his pelt on the sand, kneeling down beside it briefly to smooth out the corners. He arched his back and felt his hole clench around nothing, his stomach cramping lightly at the emptiness. Fuck how was he supposed to explain this?  
  
“Uh, man are you-what’re you doing?!”  
  
Keith had laid down on his pelt, unable to resist the heat flushing his face and chest. He trailed a hand over his chest, down to his stomach and lower, cupping himself through his swim shorts. He exhaled through his nose at the sensation. He slid a foot up and down on the sand beside his pelt, enjoying the tiny prickles of grains on his sensitive skin. He was so hot he needed to get some relief. He wiggled a hand into his shorts, sliding his thumb over his cock. He listened vaguely to the blood rushing in his ears and continued to gently stroke himself as he felt his cock plump to full hardness.  
  
Lance felt his entire face go very red. _What the hell?_ Keith had barely mentioned something about mating season coming up, but Lance hadn’t expected it to happen right the fuck now! What was he supposed to do? He shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. Did Keith expect him to just watch? Was he allowed to touch? Fuck, wait, did this mean Keith needed to get back into seal form? Was he stuck as a human now that the season had started or would it be okay like this? Could Keith even consent to any attentions from Lance because he started to get kind of hard himself just watching. He was a healthy teenage guy. There was no way a beautiful man sighing and squirming erotically on a beach, in a bright spot of sunshine _inside a cave for God’s sake,_ looking like some kind of ethereal wet dream wasn’t going to rev Lance’s engine. Who was he kidding? This was a dream come true.  
  
A soft moan echoed around the cavern as Keith’s fingers dipped lower, gliding through the small amount of slick already leaking from his hole. It wasn’t enough to comfortably slide a finger inside, not yet anyway, so he settled for circling the edge. He pet the rim, teasing the tight furl and willing himself to let go of the tension building in his pelvis. The puckered skin resisted always the intrusion at first, when his heat had just started, but he knew that soon enough it would open up. In the past, once he fell fully in the throes of heat, not having anything inside of him felt _awful_ and physically hurt. As he mused, the tip of his finger accidentally slipped in a little and his leg jerked, kicking a little bit of sand.  
  
“Ah!”  
  
Lance felt hot shivers race up and down his spine as he realized that Keith’s hand was too low to simply be stroking himself off. It was too much, he couldn’t help himself. He stepped forward, edging his way next to Keith for a better view, squeezing himself through his suddenly restricting trunks. Keith opened his eyes at the movement and saw Lance gazing down at him with a molten gaze and his abdomen rolled, more slick sliding out of him and wetting his fingers. He managed to get a finger halfway in before it started to burn and he pumped it slowly, wiggling his ass to find a better angle. He needed it deeper. Lance’s eyes widened at the movement and his knees felt weak, giving out beneath him in a frankly embarrassing move. Luckily, it seemed like Keith was too preoccupied to notice how Lance had just collapsed in arousal next to him.  
  
Keith could _almost_ feel the heat from Lance’s skin and he whined a little, pushing his hips up invitingly. He withdrew the finger to try to get those damned shorts off. It took him a second to remember to untie the drawstring and he fumbled to undo it before shimmying them off. Ugh, why hadn’t he just left them _off_ after he’d returned to human form? Why wasn’t Lance doing anything?! Keith glared at Lance, who seemed to be too entranced to do anything actually helpful. In petty retaliation, he chucked the shorts at Lance’s face.  
  
“Hey!”  
  
Lance’s ears burned as he reached up to pull the shorts off of his head. He frowned as his fingers touched a mysterious wetness on the seat where the shorts had turned inside out in Keith’s haste. Had he really gotten so hard that he leaked that much precum? Shaking his head, Lance threw them carelessly to the side to resume his new and improved view of Keith touching himself. He’d long since shoved his other hand into his own trunks, alternately squeezing and stroking himself at the hot sight before him. He wanted to touch so bad, he was desperate. As if reading his thoughts, Keith spoke then, his voice hoarse.  
  
“Please.”  
  
“Please what?”  
  
Keith glared at him more intently. Lance hadn’t meant to be coy; he refused to do anything without clear headed verbal consent.  
  
“Touch me.”  
  
Keith ground out, with effort. Lance nodded immediately and shuffled closer. He noticed the various scars and greenish-yellow fading bruises marring Keith’s otherwise unmarked pale skin. He wondered what could have caused them. Lance carefully reached a hand out, unwilling to acknowledge just how much it shook. Keith didn’t even look real with how the sun shone on him, illuminating his dark hair as his head tossed on his coat. He smoothed his fingers over Keith’s collarbones, up his neck and to his lips, bitten red. Keith’s mouth opened immediately and Lance slid a single finger inside, watching Keith greedily suck it in with awe. Keith locked eyes with him and wiggled his tongue around Lance’s finger.  
  
“Ha~ yeah okay.”  
  
Lance mumbled, drawing his finger out and tracing it down Keith’s chest, leaving a trail of spit. He rubbed his finger around one of Keith’s nipples and Keith _melted_ into the pelt behind his back. Lance pressed down harder, circling deliciously over the reddened bud and Keith let his mouth fall open and a soft noise escape his parted lips. Lance felt the warmth simmering beneath the soft skin and licked his lips when he saw Keith’s cock bob against his stomach. Lance let his hand dip down farther, skirting around to massage just beneath Keith’s balls and marveling at the wetness he felt…Wait a minute.  
  
“When did you-? Lube?”  
  
Lance asked stupidly. Keith rolled his eyes.  
  
“What part of I’m in season did you not understand?”  
  
“All of it.” Lance replied honestly, reaching out both hands to spread Keith open and gawk at the slick slipping out around Keith’s fingers. Keith felt a dual flush of arousal and embarrassment spark through him at Lance’s open curiosity.  
  
“You’re so wet…”  
  
Lance murmured to himself, sliding his own fingers around and rubbing them together in front of his face. The texture was definitely more akin to the kind of secretions expected from a human girl, in Lance’s experience, and less like lubricant per se. Letting one of his fingers glide in next to Keith’s, he pumped it experimentally to watch the furl of Keith’s hole suck them both in simultaneously. Keith chirped as Lance crooked his finger to test his aim. Lance shot him a lewd look and wiggled his eyebrows. To his surprise, instead of becoming frustrated, Keith’s eyes fluttered closed and he groaned, deep in his throat, his hole clenching on Lance’s finger. Lance could feel a pulse wrack through Keith’s body. If he’d known more about selkie anatomy, he’d have known that Keith had internally climaxed when Lance’s finger was long enough to pet the inner walls deep inside.  
  
As Keith paused, gasping for breath, Lance removed his hand. He tried to bring his fingers to his mouth to taste, but Keith squawked.  
  
“S-stop it! That’s disgusting!”  
  
Lance barked out a laugh.  
  
“You think _that’s_ gross? That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. Don’t you worry though, gorgeous. Boy, I think I’m about to blow your mind.”  
  
Abruptly levering himself down, Keith was appalled to see Lance stick his face near his groin. He attempted to squirm away, but Lance got a firm grip on his hips and breathed out a puff of warmth directly onto Keith’s cock head which traitorously twitched. Lance looked up at him through his eyelashes and grinned, showing off his tongue as he salaciously licked his lips. Keith’s heart pounded. Lance was _dangerous._ A bead of precum pearled at the tip and he felt himself begin to sweat where Lance’s hands were tight over the divots of his hips. Lance leaned forward to brush his lips over the tip, smearing the precum on like his favorite lipgloss. Keith let out an embarrassingly high pitched noise at the sight, abdomen curling in as he sucked in his breath.  
  
“Lance, what’re you-?”  
  
Then Lance’s tongue came out and Keith couldn’t look away. That beautiful red tongue parting bronze lips, one that had Keith had tasted with his own mouth, lapping at his cock like some rare delicacy. Keith’s chest heaved as he watched. Lance happily licked at his cock, pleasantly surprised at the salty but light taste. It was vastly different from anything else he’d ever tried, but maybe that was some crazy selkie thing. All he knew was that from the look on Keith’s face, wondrous adoration, no one ever treated this boy right. Damn. If so, that was a crying shame. Lance might have to do some guest lectures at Selkie University in the future on the advantages of going down on your partner if more people would react like Keith. Smirking lecherously, Lance wriggled his body up so that he could open his mouth wide and swallow Keith slowly, letting him see exactly what he did.  
  
Keith’s mouth dropped open in pleasure. His hips spasmed and his cock jerked as it was immersed in wet warmth. Luckily, Lance prepared for that reaction; otherwise he would have choked or gagged on his length. Instead, he moved his head back with the motion smoothly and Keith moaned, high and sweet. One of his hands went to Lance’s hair gripping the strands for a second, before apologetically smoothing them down. Lance held his hips steady as he began to suck more of Keith into his mouth, bobbing his head shallowly. He’d only done it a few times so he knew better than to try anything fancy or complicated. By the sheer bliss written on Keith’s face, he smugly felt he didn’t even need to try to impress.  
  
"More! Ah more!"  
  
Lance privately enjoyed the demands, always having a soft spot for bratty partners in bed. He liked giving and wanted to make sure he did his best. He hollowed his cheeks around the cock in his mouth, changing the pressure of his sucking to allow his tongue room to move and swirl around the head. He let go with a pop to press his mouth along the shaft, tonguing a vein and mouthing at his balls. Keith wasn’t even trying to contain his noises anymore, only shifting with more fervor as the heat pooled in his stomach. Lightly sucking back up to the tip, Lance decided to try a more daring move and ducked down to blow gently on Keith’s puckered hole. It twitched cutely and Lance’s tongue darted out to press against his perineum. Keith howled and his body shook. Taking pity on him, Lance slid easily back up and took him into his mouth again. It wasn’t as bad as he’d anticipated. In fact, now that he paid attention, Keith did have a rather small and slim dick. It was pretty, just like the rest of him, but its size meant that when he put his mind to it, Lance could take more of it into his mouth than with any previous guy.  
  
"So good..."  
  
Lance rutted into the coat at the words. He _lived_ for praises like that, dripping from Keith's lovely lips, unabashed in taking his pleasure. As the sensations built up and melded with the visuals of Lance taking his _dick_ into his mouth, Keith could contain himself no longer. He wailed and his hands flailed, one of them scratching desperately at Lance’s shoulder. Hastily drawing back in pain, Lance had the forethought, (just barely), to shut his eyes as Keith came. Purely out of luck, he’d managed to get his head forward enough so that Keith hit his neck and collarbones instead of his face. _Close call though._ Opening his eyes and glancing down at his shoulder, Lance winced a little at the tiny pinpricks of blood dotting the red marks. Those would be a bitch to explain to his mother later. Keith continued to moan, hips still shifting impatiently. Lance licked his lips, grinning. He was so good, Keith still squirmed with aftershocks!  
  
“Lance, c’mon _please._ I need you. Need more!”  
  
Keith whimpered, turning his head and rubbing his face in the soft pelt beneath him, trembling uncertainly beneath Lance. Lance looked down in shock. How could Keith still be so hard? He _just_ came. Not even a minute ago! He was there! The soft mounds of flesh quaking beneath his grasp, that pretty prick pulsing in his mouth. Lance had tasted his cum on his own tongue, not to mention the fact that he could see it dripping down his goddamn chest! Speaking of which, he could feel his tongue swell a little in his mouth. He reached up to brush his lips, dizzy and surprised that he’d just blown a total stranger, a selkie at that. His mouth tingled pleasantly. Lance bit his lip, gazing down at all the soft pale skin spread out so pretty below.  
  
Lance had always been weak for pretty people.  
  
"Yeah, yeah okay. Tell me what you want sweetheart."  
  
Keith gasped and panted out: "Mmmn-! Wanna ride you. Please."  
  
Lance's dick twitched in his grasp and he scrambled to hurriedly remove his swim trunks. He laid down carefully, making sure to give his head ample padding to recline, on the seal pelt, _Keith's pelt,_ he thought giddily, and waited as Keith sat up and swung a leg over his hips to straddle him. Keith gazed down at him with dark, midnight eyes and Lance squeaked. It wasn't his proudest moment. But then, the next moment, Keith had shuffled forward and wrapped his hand around Lance, teasing himself by rubbing the tip over the edge of his hole. Scooting his hips forward and back, Keith finally found an angle he liked and allowed himself to sink down, taking a few inches of Lance inside before he had to pause for breath. Lance equally needed the moment to breathe and sweat beaded on his forehead as his hands flexed on Keith’s hips. Rocking up and down, Keith bore down on the length, trying his best to loosen up enough to take it. Lance watched and massaged his ass as Keith's hips gyrated sensually.  
  
"Shh, no rush. Just relax and let me in. God, you look so good Sweetheart, taking me so well." Lance babbled, pausing only when he saw Keith's visceral reaction to the nickname. "You like that? Sweetheart?"  
  
Keith sighed, muscles relaxing at the nickname. It meant Lance cared, that he wanted to make _Keith_ feel good. That Lance would stick around and protect him during his season, would take care of him, was good mate material.  
  
When he finally let in the last bit and sat flush against Lance’s hips, Lance couldn’t help but think that the squelch of slick from Keith, and his sigh of relief, was amplified in the cavern. His toes curled as sparks danced behind his eyelids. He didn’t even remember closing them. Blinking, he wrenched them open, determined not to miss a second of action. Keith barely paused before he started to move again. Lance's hands slid appreciatively over Keith's toned thighs, kneading the muscles as they flexed to lift and lower him. Keith's head tipped back, exposing the pale column of his neck and moaned wantonly. He panted in exertion already, even though they’d barely started. Lance groaned as Keith ground down on each landing, driving Lance even deeper inside.  
  
"Fuck Babe. If you keep on like this, this is gonna be over a lot faster than either of us want."  
  
Lance clenched his jaw, trying to calm his body's spasms and keep from just shooting his load immediately. Keith ignored him and rocked faster, his ample ass bouncing against Lance's lean hips. A string of curses erupted from Lance's mouth as he tried to control the pace. Unable to do so in his current position, he wrapped his arms around Keith's back and levered himself into a sitting position. Keith howled at the change of position and zealously thrust his hips forward to get some friction on his aching prick. Lance was suddenly distracted by the view over Keith's shoulder of their frantic joining, tempted to flip Keith over to better see his prick sliding in and out of Keith’s cute hole, and leaned in to lick the sheen of sweat glowing on Keith's skin. His thin control of himself ended at the salty taste and his hips snapped up aggressively, countering Keith's thrusts. Keith leaned back, his gaze positively smoldering. Lance's lips quirked and he let himself fall back down, using the moment to plant his feet firmly into the ground and push up.  
  
"La-ah-ance!"  
  
Keith's eyes rolled back into his head and he pitched forward, catching himself on his palms before falling heavily to his forearms, spreading his knees farther apart and arching his back into the feeling. It gave Lance more room to move and he took full advantage, rocking in and out in a frenzy. Keith yipped and felt the rising compulsion to be full, to be bred until he couldn't move. To be bonded and joined in the most intimate way possible. His whole body quivered and he came again at the thought that it finally happened; he was finally being _claimed._ He came in spurts over Lance's chest while the other man seemingly gave no mind. Keith arched his back, resting his forehead against Lance’s chest and allowing Lance to push deeper in. The intense tingling that had begun in his mouth after swallowing Keith down had spread rapidly down his torso and his limbs, intensifying into a buzzing that vibrated his very bones. It sparked a yearning to own Keith, totally and completely. To make it so he couldn't even think of anyone else ever again. A growl worked its way up his throat and his hands reached down to grip the firm globes of Keith's fantastic ass. Lance pushed down in tandem with his thrusts up, putting more power into each movement. Keith keened desperately, body still quavering with rolling aftershocks of pleasure.  
  
"Harder! Fuck _harder!"_  
  
Lance complied. He felt his own peak hastily approaching, hips pounding into Keith. He shifted slightly in preparation to cum and felt something odd. Almost as if his cocked had bumped into a barrier of some kind. Now, Lance wasn't at his academic best right then, even he could admit that, but anatomically there shouldn't have been anything there blocking him. The vibration in his bones whispered of desire and owning and of penetration. It murmured of the pleasure to be found in going forward. Lance wavered, unwilling to actually hurt his partner, no matter what mystical words some magic sperm whispered.  
  
"Ah! There! Right there! Lance!"  
  
Keith's begging persuaded Lance better than any bone deep instinct could. He shoved forward, pulling Keith down with a resounding slap of their skin and Keith _screamed._ Lance felt his dick poke through what felt like another entrance, one buried deep inside of Keith. It gripped him so tightly that it hurt. He could only fit the tip inside, but it was enough to have Keith climaxing again and again, simply from clenching down around Lance. Lance barely even had to move, Keith's insides churned, tightening and releasing as he came over and over. Lance watched in awe as no sooner had Keith finally settled, but that he'd bear down on Lance's cock again and shake apart once more. His dick twitched valiantly, but he'd been coming dry for awhile. Keith's mouth opened, trying desperately to get air into his lungs and drooling at the corner where he didn't have the wherewithal to stop it. It was the carnal lust consuming his expression that finally made Lance cum.  
  
"Mmmn! Oh Sweetheart, _yeah."_  
  
His voice rasped hoarsely, quiet in Keith's ear as Keith shuddered, feeling every slight twitch as Lance emptied inside of him, especially since he had partially entered his second entrance. He barely had the air in his lungs to moan as he felt the pulses of fluid flood his insides. They both held on while Lance rode out the waves of orgasm, breathing heavily. Keith's breaths fanned warm over Lance's mouth and if he'd had an ounce of energy left in his body, he'd have kissed him gently. Slipping out of Keith to twin groans, Keith's legs gave out and he slumped forward onto Lance, nuzzling mindlessly into the crook of his neck. Lances fingers gingerly probed Keith's entrance, worried that he'd done some damage, no matter what Keith had said in the heat of the moment. Keith hissed when he felt a finger circling his sensitive rim, but he relaxed and allowed it.  
  
"Hurt?"  
  
"No. It's dripping out."  
  
Keith's voice emerged, low and sated as he remained draped bonelessly over Lance. The words made Lance frown and he idly let his fingers gather the slick and seamen leaking out and push it back into Keith's hole. Keith gasped and wriggled in delight. Lance chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, you're gonna have to give me a hot minute before I can get it up again. You're insane, you know that? Gonna be so sore..."  
  
Keith licked at Lance's neck, pressing open mouthed kisses into it. No matter how much cum Lance stuffed back inside of him, Keith could feel his heat still cramping in his abdomen and he knew he wouldn't have much time to recover before needing Lance to take care of him again. And again and again. He produced a little bit more slick and felt it seeping down his thigh. He mustered his best sultry tone.  
  
"I think I can shorten the time."  
  
Lance laughed, smacking Keith's pert ass playfully.  
  
"Do your worst pretty boy."  
  
Keith smiled, his heart nearly bursting with happiness.  
  
"What're you grinning about? You that cocky?"  
  
"Yeah. I mean I just never thought that I'd have a mate."  
  
Lance had been drowsily drifting towards a doze, but he'd wanted to hear what had given Keith such an uncharacteristically dopey grin. At the word mate, however, his eyes shot open.  
  
"A what now?"  
  
Keith giggled. This human! He had so much to learn.  
  
"A mate. Like a bonded one. I know humans do it, don't pretend. It's like..." He paused trailing off to try and remember the right word. He snapped his fingers. "A marriage! It's a selkie marriage."  
  
He smiled widely, proud that he was able to recall the right thing to say for a human ceremony he'd only heard of a few times. Lance stopped breathing. He felt the throbbing in his head return tenfold. When he finally spoke, his voice cracked.  
  
_"A what now?"_


End file.
